1. Will the answer if true, have a direct bearing on the health of patients?

2. Is the outcome or topic something that patients/clients/population groups would care about?

3. Is the problem addressed in the review one that is relevant to nutrition or dietetics practice?

4. Will the information, if true, require a change in practice?

1. Was the question for the review clearly focused and appropriate?

2. Was the search strategy used to locate relevant studies comprehensive? Were the databases searched and the search termsused described?

3. Were explicit methods used to select studies to include in the review? Were inclusion/exclusion criteria specified and appropriate? Were selection methods unbiased?

4. Was there an appraisal of the quality and validity of studies included in the review? Were appraisal methods specified, appropriate, and reproducible?

5. Were specific treatments/interventions/exposures described? Were treatments similar enough to be combined?

6. Was the outcome of interest clearly indicated? Were other potential harms and benefits considered?

7. Were processes for data abstraction, synthesis, and analysis described? Were they applied consistently across studies and groups? Was there appropriate use of qualitative and/or quantitative synthesis? Was variation in findings among studies analyzed? Were heterogeneity issued considered? If data from studies were aggregated for meta-analysis, was the procedure described?

1. Will the answer if true, have a direct bearing on the health of patients?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

2. Is the outcome or topic something that patients/clients/population groups would care about?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

3. Is the problem addressed in the review one that is relevant to nutrition or dietetics practice?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

4. Will the information, if true, require a change in practice?

Yes

Yes

Yes

???

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Validity Questions
(

???

= Can't Determine)

1. Was the question for the review clearly focused and appropriate?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

2. Was the search strategy used to locate relevant studies comprehensive? Were the databases searched and the search termsused described?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

3. Were explicit methods used to select studies to include in the review? Were inclusion/exclusion criteria specified and appropriate? Were selection methods unbiased?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

4. Was there an appraisal of the quality and validity of studies included in the review? Were appraisal methods specified, appropriate, and reproducible?

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

5. Were specific treatments/interventions/exposures described? Were treatments similar enough to be combined?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

6. Was the outcome of interest clearly indicated? Were other potential harms and benefits considered?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

7. Were processes for data abstraction, synthesis, and analysis described? Were they applied consistently across studies and groups? Was there appropriate use of qualitative and/or quantitative synthesis? Was variation in findings among studies analyzed? Were heterogeneity issued considered? If data from studies were aggregated for meta-analysis, was the procedure described?